Top Venezuelan opposition leader claims asylum at Chilean embassy
A top leader of Venezuela’s opposition took refuge Tuesday at the Chilean embassy in Caracas, amid an opposition-led uprising against embattled President Nicolás Maduro.
Leopoldo López was granted asylum by the Chilean government alongside his wife, Lilian Tintori, and his daughter, Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero tweeted.
“Chile reaffirms its commitment to Venezuelan democrats,” wrote Ampuero.{mosads}
López, the founder of the Popular Will party, was liberated from house arrest early Tuesday by military officers loyal to opposition leader Juan Guaidó.{mosads}
Guaidó, a member of López’s party, was declared interim president by the opposition in January. The Trump administration has recognized Guaidó as the country’s interim president.
Chile is a member of the Lima Group, a coalition of Western Hemisphere countries that’s sought to restore democracy in Venezuela, and among the more-than-50 nations worldwide that supports Guaidó’s claim on the presidency.
Guaidó early Tuesday began the “final phase” of the opposition’s plan to topple Maduro, calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets in opposition to the regime.
White House national security adviser John Bolton told reporters Tuesday that “all options remain on the table” in Venezuela.
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